Feeling Nostalgic
by addekluv
Summary: Addison lives in LA, but Derek has a need to see her. Addek based with other PrP characters interwined. It was supposed to be a one shot, but it's taken me incredibly long to get it all out.
1. Chapter 1

**Feeling Nostalgic**

As soon as Addison had arrived home from the clinic, she had taken a long hot shower and replaced her work clothes with a set of comfy pajamas consisting of a cotton yellow tank top and matching loose pants. On her feet, she wore soft, fluffy slippers that no one outside of her family had dare seen her wear.

Addison had just slumped onto the couch hoping to enjoy the end of a busy work week with some wine and a cheesy Lifetime movie. As she grabbed the remote control to turn on the television, the door bell rang and interrupted the quiet aura of her house.

Frowning, she set the wine glass on the end table, being sure to place it in the center of the coaster, and padded across the wooden floor to the front door. Although it was past 10pm, Addison assumed that it was either Sam or Naomi needing to borrow something from her. She often wondered what Sam did before she moved in. _Maybe the check out girl at the local Stop and Shop was quite familiar with him_, she thought. Without using the peek hole, she pulled the heavy door open while speaking to the person on the other side. "What do you need to borrow this time Sa-?"

Before she could finish his name, she realized she was completely wrong about who was standing on her doorstep in the dark with only the porch light to reveal his familiar face and frame.

"Derek?!" Addison said with a shock.

Derek smiled sheepishly and replied, "I know it's late and I'm sure that you weren't expecting me."

She pulled back the door to allow him to enter her house. She chuckled a bit before saying, "No, I definitely wasn't." Becoming serious again, she asked, "Is everything ok?"

Derek stepped in and Addison watched as his eyes trailed from the top of her snug tank top to her padded feet.

"You've seen me in less than this, Derek."

Derek flashed a grin at her and then went back to his normally sober look. "There's something I need to tell you."

Addison placed a hand directly on her slender hip. "Look, if there's trouble in paradise, I don't want to know about it. I also don't want to be reminded of how great things _used_ to be for us." She waved her other hand in the air. "I'm here now. I've started over. We…." She pulled her hand down and pointed between Derek and herself. "-you and I…are over. You've made that abundantly clear and I'm working on accepting that. So, if you are here to brood over your twelve year old lover or if you're feeling especially nostalgic, then you need to just hop back on that plane and head north."

Derek stood quietly while she ranted. "That's not why I'm here."

"Oh," she admitted, slightly embarrassed.

Derek shoved his hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, folded, rectangular, piece of paper. He handed it to her. "_This_ is why I'm here."

Addison furrowed her eyebrows and took the thin paper from his outstretched hand. She immediately noticed the faded flowers pictured on its front. She wondered what was inside that would be so important that Derek would fly three hours and arrive this late to give it to her. As she began to read the small print inside the paper, she suddenly understood. Looking up at Derek, she quietly said, "Oh, Derek, I'm so sorry."

"I should've told you earlier. I wanted to you to be there, but I didn't want it to be awkward for you. Mark flew out with me the day before her funeral."

For a reason that Addison couldn't quite explain, hearing Derek tell her that he chose Mark over her, stung. But instead of using a smart retort like she normally would, she let it go and nodded her head as if she understood his reasons. "Come in and sit down. Let me take your coat."

Derek shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to her. She offered him a drink as she placed his jacket over the bar stool near her kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she grabbed a bottle of beer for him.

Derek walked towards the family room noticing the Christmas tree and other festive decorations she had hung. "You still love Christmas, huh?"

Addison smiled as she gave him his drink. "Yeah, I can't give that up."

"You shouldn't. It's always been your favorite holiday."

Derek continued walking toward her large picture window. "A beautiful view."

Realizing that at any moment, Sam could glance out his window and watch her interaction with her ex-husband, she quickly walked over and closed the curtains. "It's a wonderful view, but at night, I like a little privacy."

They both sat down on the couch facing each other. Addison curled her leg under her and asked, "How did it happen? Was she sick?"

Derek sighed and rubbed the condensation from the beer bottle. "She had a minor stroke a few months ago. I had planned on going home to visit her, but Nancy told me she was recovering normally. I still wanted to see her for myself, but…." He stopped talking as if he had to think about how to explain the reasons why he didn't have enough time to visit his sick mother. "-_things_ came up. Three weeks later, she had a massive stroke. I booked a flight to New York for the next morning. She went into cardiac arrest before I even boarded the plane."

Addison scooted closer and placed her hand on Derek's thigh. "I'm so sorry."

"I hadn't actually seen her since I left New York for Seattle."

"I would've been there in a heartbeat."

Derek stared straight into her eyes. "I know you would've been. I never doubted that."

"I loved her like my own mother."

He nodded knowing that what she said was true. It only made him feel guiltier for not calling her. "When Kathleen called to tell me she was gone, the first person that I wanted to tell was you. I wasn't thinking at all. I ran to your office and opened the door to see an empty desk. I picked up the phone to call you and realized I didn't have your number."

"But you waited until two weeks after the funeral to find me?"

"I thought if I ignored the feeling of missing you there, it would go away. It didn't. I didn't want you to feel awkward being around my family. I didn't even want Mark with me, but he argued enough that I just gave in. I'm glad he was there. I needed him more than I wanted to admit. I made the excuse that you were busy in LA and couldn't fly out."

Addison made a face and Derek smiled slightly as he said, "I knew you'd hate that. I just didn't know what else to say."

"You didn't take Meredith?"

Derek downed the last of his drink and mumbled, "We're not together."

Surprised, Addison removed her hand from his leg. "So, there _is_ trouble in paradise."

Derek shrugged. "It's just too hard. She's not ready and I don't know what I want with her. I do know that this whole thing with mom has made me realize how much I miss you."

"Derek, I don't think now…."

Placing his lips gently onto hers prevented her from finishing her sentence. Wanting to continue, but knowing she couldn't, Addison pushed him away. "Derek, this shouldn't be happening. You're still grieving. I'm in shock that she's gone. We just shouldn't…."

Derek pulled away from her. "I still have her Christmas presents on the counter in the trailer. I don't know what to do with them."

"I sent her a gift."

Derek set the beer bottle on the end table next to her full glass of wine and nodded his head. "I saw it there. She had it under the tree. I guess she was waiting until Christmas Day to open it. I didn't know what else to do with it so I left it there. Kathleen said she'd take care of all of mom's things. She wants to put the house up for sale soon. I don't know how my sisters are doing so well. They had everything done for the funeral before I arrived. I felt useless most of the time that I was there."

"They were with her. Maybe that helped them."

"Maybe; I don't know. When I got back to Seattle, I felt empty. Going through her death was something we should've done together. She would've wanted you there. I couldn't stop thinking about how we should've been side by side at her gravesite. We should've been holding hands, being strong for each other. Instead, I stood there alone wondering if she hated me for not being there sooner."

Using the back of her hand, Addison wiped the tears from her cheeks. "She loved you, Derek. You were her little boy. Her only son. You didn't have to be next to her to have her know that you loved her. She knew. Don't do this to yourself. Don't let the guilt get to you."

"I miss her…. and I miss you."

"You're grieving about something that I was a part of. I think it's natural for you to…."

Derek quickly placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled him to her, kissing her more deeply than before. Addison closed her eyes feeling herself melt into his touch.

Before she could catch her breath to stop him once again, Derek had slipped his hands under her tank top and began to softly caress her breasts. She instinctively tilted her head back while he trailed his lips over her bare neck. She moaned when he began nibbling on her ear, knowing how much she loved it. He pulled his hands out from under her shirt and sat back from her leaving her flushed and wanting more. "It's late. I should go."

Surprised and a bit miffed for leaving her that way, Addison said, "Oh, yeah, right. Maybe you should." She stood up and Derek followed her lead wondering if he had just screwed up his chance with her. He had assumed she would play the game of begging him to stay.

Shrugging, she said, "I do have an extra bedroom here if you'd like to use it."

"Addison – "

She put up her hand and replied, "Don't. Don't say anything about what just happened. We shouldn't have anyway. Please ….just…. stay." Addison waved her arm around the room. "Make yourself at home. I'm going to bed."

Derek headed towards the front door. "I'll just grab my bag. My flight back isn't until late evening tomorr…" He glanced at his watch. "…er_, today_. Maybe you can show me around this one horse town." Derek flashed his McDreamy smile.

Addison smiled. "I do have to work, ya know."

"Play hooky."

Addison laughed. "I'll think about it. Goodnight Derek."

"Goodnight Addie."

Addison had tossed and turned for the past few hours. She kept thinking about Derek's arrival and the bad news he had brought to her. She had loved Derek's mother. Mrs. Shepherd had welcomed Addison into their family with open arms the minute Derek had brought her home. After the mess with Mark, she knew she had hurt Derek's mother deeply and that wasn't something she had forgotten. Addison had hoped that time would help heal their wounds. Now, that was impossible.

Finally, not being able to soothe herself to sleep, Addison crawled out of bed and went out into the hallway. She stood in front of the guestroom door for a moment before taking a deep breath and softly knocking on the door. "Derek? Are you awake?"

Addison heard footsteps and saw the door open before her.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Derek pushed his hand through his rumpled hair and shook his head. "No. I think I fell asleep for about 10 minutes an hour ago."

Derek walked back to the bed and laid in the middle of it. He patted the mattress and said, "Come and sit. What's wrong?"

Addison stepped towards the bed and sat on the edge of it. "I just can't sleep. I can't believe she's gone. I didn't get a chance to-"

She turned to look at Derek and decided to slide closer to him. She needed the intimacy of feeling him next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. She scooted lower until her head was resting on his lap. He began stroking her hair waiting for her to begin talking. He knew she would talk eventually. She used to do this during their marriage when something was bothering her. She would get close to him, clam up, and he'd rub her back or run his fingers through her hair until she relaxed enough to let it all spill out.

A few minutes passed as Addison allowed herself to enjoy his touch. Finally, she whispered to him, "Do you think she forgave me?"

Derek stopped petting her and asked, "You mean after Mark?"

Addison nodded.

"Yeah, I know she did. She forgave you way before I did."

She turned her body towards him allowing the tears to slide down her cheeks. "_You've_ forgiven me?"

Derek used his fingertips to dry the wetness under her eyes. "I'm working on it."

Addison nodded her head and rolled back so as not to face him. Derek went back to stroking her hair. "Try to get some sleep, Ad. It's late…or early…depending on your point of view."

Addison smiled slightly, sighed, and closed her eyes. Once Derek felt her body relax onto his, he too, allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Hours later Addison woke up and silently disentangled her legs from Derek's. Rubbing her swollen eyes, she looked at the clock on the end stand next to the bed. _6:05 am_. "Sht," she whispered and pulled herself out from under the covers. Somehow she and Derek's bodies had become mingled together underneath the sheets. She re-covered the motionless man she had not intended on literally spending the night with and quietly walked out of the spare bedroom.

As she made her way to the kitchen, she looked down at herself. "Well, at least I have all of my clothes on," she quipped. _Why do things seem ok in the middle of the night, but so wrong in the morning_, she thought. Reaching into the cupboard, she pulled out a package of ground coffee and began her normal morning ritual. While the coffee brewed, she grabbed her cell phone from the counter top and dialed the familiar work number.

After the instructional answering machine message was finished, Addison began speaking. "Good morning, Dell. I will not be in the office this morning. I, uh, something came up late last night and I need to finish it this morning. Since I have no early appointments, I assume this will be fine. Please let Naomi know and I will try to come in later today. Thanks."

Turning back towards the coffee maker, she grabbed her favorite mug, poured the steaming coffee into it and headed back to her bedroom. "I need some sleep," she muttered. Looking into her mug, she said, "Not that _you_ will help, but I need you and I need some freak.ing sleep." Addison took a sip of her coffee, set it on top of her dresser, and slipped back into her bed.

The next two hours swept passed as she fell into a deep sleep. The shrill ring of the house phone yanked her out of her silent reverie. "F.ck," she whispered. "Who the hel is calling me this early?"

Addison slid as close to the edge of the bed as possible and reached for the phone.

"Hello?" she grumbled.

"Oooh, someone isn't happy this morning. Are you sick?"

Recognizing her best friend's voice on the other end, Addison softened. "Oh, hey, Nay. No, I'm not sick. I just….."

Before she could finish, Addison's bedroom door opened and Derek peeked his head inside. Not trying to be inconspicuous, he loudly asked her, "Hey, Ad, do you have any soap that isn't so girlish? I can't go around smelling like a pina colada all day."

Addison closed her eyes and felt her cheeks turn a dark shade of red.

"Is that a man's voice?! Oooh, Addison, you wild girl," Naomi laughed! "No wonder you aren't coming in this morning! Late night?"

Addison put her palm over the phone and quietly said to Derek, "There's bar soap under the vanity in the main bathroom. There are towels there as well."

Derek flashed her a mischievous smile and shut her bedroom door behind him.

Removing her hand from the handset, she replied, "Yes, it _was_ a late night, but it's not what you think. _Not at all_."

"Relax. I'm just teasing you. I'm happy for you! And because Pete just walked past my office window, I know that voice wasn't his."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Naomi, please. Just drop it. I'll explain later."

"I don't need details. Although, I'll tell you mine if you'll tell me yours."

Exasperated, Addison did what she could to end the conversation. "I'm glad you and Sam are getting – along. I'll talk to you later this afternoon."

"Don't rush in. Go share that great showerhead of yours with that lovely boy toy in your bathroom that's looking for some good soap."

Addison thought of a quick retort, but thought better of it to leave it be. "Goodbye, Nay."

She quickly pushed the off button and threw herself backwards allowing her head to squish into the fluffy pillow.

Hearing the water running in the extra bathroom, Addison decided to get up and make a fresh pot of coffee. _I'm going to need some extra caffeine this morning_, she thought. She crawled from her bed, trudged to her closet, and grabbed her white robe from its hook. After sliding her arms in, she pulled the belt tightly around her waist while making her way to the kitchen. She glanced at the bathroom door where Derek was taking his shower. _No more sneak peeks big boy. _

Addison dumped the old coffee into the sink and began to fill it with fresh water. She poured the black grinds into the filter and pushed the button waiting for the familiar bubbling sound. As soon as it began, she turned toward the attached bar and flipped through a TV Guide.

Derek joined her in the kitchen following his shower. He sat on a bar stool on the opposite side of the counter. "Thanks for the soap," he said with a touch of humor in his voice.

Addison tossed the magazine back onto the counter and mumbled, "You're welcome."

"Who was on the phone – not that it's any of my business."

"It's not, but it was Naomi. And she now thinks I had some grand one night stand thanks to your overly loud mouth."

Derek chuckled. "Oh, did she hear me?"

"She heard a guy's voice. I didn't divulge whose it was"

"Ahhh. Embarrassed that I'm here?" Derek picked up the TV Guide and began leafing through it.

Addison turned back towards the counter and filled two coffee mugs with the hot, steaming, black liquid.

She handed Derek his cup and replied, "It's not that. It's just that – I don't want to have to explain why you spent the night here."

Derek glanced up from the magazine. "My mother died. I think that's a good enough reason."

Taking a sip of her coffee, she swallowed the warm beverage before saying, "I know that, but there are such things as phones and computers now."

Looking slightly hurt at the thought that she'd have rather have had him call her than see her, he went back to perusing the celebrities of the television world. "There are, but I would think something like this would call for a personal visit."

"At 10pm?"

"It shouldn't matter what time it was and you shouldn't care so much what other people think."

"I don't."

Derek shook his head. "That's bs and we both know it."

Addison made a face and walked to the refrigerator looking for something for breakfast.

Closing the magazine, Derek offered, "How about I go out and look for some bagels?"

Addison felt her stomach tighten at the mention of the familiar morning routine they used to share on weekends when they both had the days off. "Um, yeah, sure. There's a good place a couple of blocks from here. I'll get you some money." She began to reach for her purse when Derek interrupted her movements.

Standing up, he grabbed his coat from the bar stool next to him and replied, "Addie, we're not married anymore. I have my own money."

Flustered, she said, "Oh….yeah."

Before making it to the door, he turned around and asked her, "Are you going to get into the shower while I'm gone?"

"Probably."

Knowing her feelings of awkwardness of them being together, he teased, "I'm sorry I'll miss that."

Smiling in spite of herself, she picked up the TV Guide and threw it at him, aiming at his head. Laughing, he ducked and watched it sail over the top of him and hit the front door.

Derek picked up the magazine and set it on the small table next to him. "Either your aim is getting worse or I'm getting better at knowing when it's coming." He gave Addison a wink and headed out of her house.

Addison had showered and dressed by the time Derek got back with breakfast. She was entering the living room when he walked into her house with his hands full, carrying a drink holder and balancing a white paper bag on top of it.

He cocked his head and pushed the door shut with his backside. Noticing her dark, wet hair, he said, "Aww, I did miss it."

Addison smirked and walked towards him to relieve him of his baggage. Taking the paper bag, she remarked, "You did. Better luck next time."

Derek followed her towards the kitchen, but stopped when he thought to suggest somewhere else to eat. "Let's sit on the floor by the tree."

Turning back, she looked at him quizzically. "Really?"

"Yeah. It'll be like old times….except that this tree is about 4 feet taller than the ones we used to have in college."

Addison smiled and grabbed a throw from the couch. She set the bagel bag on the floor and began to spread the blanket out near the Christmas tree. "We have coffee here. Why the drinks?" she asked as she sat down, Indian-style.

Derek sat across from her and sat the drink carrier in front of him. "It's juju. The occasion of my being here calls for some juju."

Nodding her head, she agreed with him, "Indeed it does." She opened the bag and pulled out the warm bagels. "Whose is who's?"

"Guess."

"I get the cinnamon?"

Derek grinned. "Bingo. See, I do remember the little things."

Addison smiled back and replied, "Yeah, you do."

Derek grabbed the plain bagel she offered him and took a bite from it. While chewing, he asked, "So, what are we doing today?"

Addison stopped spreading the strawberry cream cheese onto her open bagel and asked back, "We?"

Swallowing, Derek nodded his head. "We have some time before my flight tonight. Show me around."

"I do have to go into the clinic at some point today."

"Fine, take me with you."

Addison began eating and shook her head.

"Why not?" he asked while shoving the rest of his bagel into his mouth and grabbing his Styrofoam cup.

Finishing her bite, she answered, "Derek, I can't take you there. Naomi already thinks I've had some kind of whirlwind one night stand. I refuse to take the teasing I'd get when she sees that it was you that was in my shower this morning!"

Setting his cup down, he chuckled. "Ok, point taken, but I think you could just explain why I am here and she would understand. Maybe before we go to the clinic, you can show me the beach, the souvenir stands, and the tourist traps." He flashed a smile at her; the one that always made her melt.

Addison sighed and contemplated his idea.

"I'll even allow you to drag me from store to store around here without complaint."

She began cleaning up her breakfast and stood up once her area was free of their shared breakfast. "Ok, fine. I'll show you around LA and I will take you to the clinic. But…and this is a big but….there **will** be rules."

"Rules?!"

Placing her had on her hip, she replied, "Yes. And the first rule is no telling anyone that you don't know who you are."

"What?"

"Ok, let me explain this for you. Ya know, for a neurosurgeon, you can be pretty slow."

Derek cocked his head. "Funny."

"Obviously Sam and Naomi are going to know who you are. But, the others don't and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want to have to-" She motioned out around her. "-go around telling everyone how we know each other every five minutes and then have the entire co-op chatting about it behind our backs. So, while we are there, you _won't_ tell anyone about _us_.

"Ok."

Addison raised an eyebrow. "Ok? Just ok? No arguments?"

"Nope. Just ok." Again, he flashed the McDreamy smile at her.

Squinting her eyes, she mumbled, mostly to herself, "why don't I believe you?"

He chuckled and said, "not my problem. Now, what should we do first?"

"Um – you did promise me some shopping."

"I did, didn't I?"

Addison nodded her head. "You did."

"Ok, let's take a walk on the beach – grab some lunch – and then I'll hang back carrying all of your shopping bags while you gaze at a particular shoe for hours at a time. It'll be just like old times."

His last comment brought a twinkle to her eye and a smirk on her face. "Ahh, now you are being funny. Just let me get a pair of flip flops and we can head out."

As she turned to go into her bedroom, Derek stopped her by saying, "You said there were rules; with an 's.' What are the other ones?"

Leaning into the door frame, she considered the question for a moment. "I only thought of the one. But, I now reserve the right to add more at any time."

Derek grinned and nodded. "Yep. Just like old times."

--

Addison and Derek spent the afternoon walking the streets of LA, popping in and out of boutiques (after Addison had satisfied her need for gazing at shoes and bags), and taking a leisurely stroll along the beach. It had been an easy day and they both had enjoyed each other's company. Addison had even resisted the urge to pull back when Derek clasped his hand into hers while walking in the sand without their shoes. Derek hadn't felt this comfortable and stress-free in some time.

Standing at the edge of the water together, Addison dug her toes into the sand letting the white foam rush over them. "We should go to Oceanside soon."

Derek cocked his head and watched the wind push her soft curls in front of her face. She unconsciously used her index finger to shove it behind her ear while still balancing her thongs on her smaller fingers.

"We can go whenever you are ready."

Addison sighed. Biting on her bottom lip, she stared out at the waves on the horizon. "It's always like a dose of fantasy when I look out there. I can forget about everything; you, me, babies, surgeries, friends that I no longer talk to, family that I no longer see. The hardest part is leaving here. Just walking away. Because I know that when I do, it all comes back."

Derek dropped her hand and placed his behind her back. "I thought you were happy here."

Addison grinned slightly. "I am. I'm good." Shrugging, "Never mind. We should go. Thanks for today; for this." She plastered a fake smile on her face and turned away to walk to drier land.

"It's not over yet," he responded while following behind her.

She stopped and stepped into her flip flops. "Almost. It's almost over."

--

Addison pushed the button for the elevator and watched it light up behind her finger. Neither of them spoke as they entered the empty rectangle. Once the doors were closed, Addison straightened her back and raised her head. "Remember the rule. Basically, don't talk unless you are spoken to."

Derek frowned. "I'm not a child. I have a memory of more than a minute."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Don't I know it."

The elevator came to a halt and they both waited until the doors slid open. Derek held one side as Addison stepped through the threshold. She immediately spotted Dell straightening papers in his domain. Taking a quick breath in and out, she walked with purpose to the large reception desk, with Derek lagging behind her.

"Good afternoon, Dell."

"Ah! Dr. Montgomery. It's good to see you today. You do know that you have no patients, right?"

Addison cringed inwardly knowing Derek would comment on the low amount of workload she now had. Smiling, she replied, "Yes, I understand that. A colleague of mine is in town. He's interested in learning more about medical co-ops."

Derek aligned himself next to Addison in front of the desk and stuck out his hand. "Derek Shepherd, Neurosurgery. Nice to meet you."

Addison had to forcibly keep her mouth closed because she knew that if she didn't, her chin would've hit the floor. _So much for not speaking until spoken to_, she thought.

"Dell Parker. I've been working with Dr. Montgomery on my midwifery degree."

Derek grinned and replied, "She's the best."

Addison knew she needed to break up this little love fest before Derek gave out more information than what she wanted revealed. "Dell's doing great. Um, we should go. I can show you around a bit."

As they walked away, Cooper and Violet took their place in front of Dell. They both stared at the back of the man next to Addison.

Cooper asked, "Who's he?"

Dell began tapping on his keyboard and watching the screen light up with the results he was searching for.

"_He_ is Dr. Derek Shepherd, Attending Neurosurgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital. He's a friend of Dr. Montgomery's who wants more information on co-ops."

Cooper and Violet continued to watch the couple until they made their way around the corner and out of sight.

Dell grinned broadly and said, "He currently resides in Seattle. His former address is New York City."

Violet looked at Dell curiously. "So? And how do you know that?"

"I Googled him. Guess whose name came up right after his?"

Cooper and Violet both stared at Dell waiting for the answer and wondering why he had such a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Dr. Addison Montgomery…….-_Shepherd_."

--

Addison and Derek sat on the couch in Sam's office after taking a quick tour of the exams rooms.

Smiling, Sam said, "So, Derek, you're here visiting LA?"

"He's leaving tonight," Addison interrupted before Derek could answer Sam's question.

Derek glanced at her, cocked his head, and replied, "Yes, I'm here visiting Addison."

She silently fumed at his implication of the visit.

"Oh, that's um, good. Nice. Good to keep in touch," Sam sputtered out, feeling the thickness in the air between the couple. Derek seemed so relaxed while Addison was tied in knots.

"I think so. Addison hasn't been gone long, but I wanted to know what her days were like here. It's…interesting. Calm. Quiet."

Addison squinted her eyes while watching Derek speak. "It's far from boring, Derek."

"I didn't say it was."

Sam decided he should change the subject before this became an all out nostalgic bickering session. "Hey, let's get Naomi and we can all have dinner together tonight."

"Derek needs to fly out…."

This time, Derek did the interrupting. "That sounds great. My flight isn't until late tonight. We have plenty of time for dinner." Derek turned towards Addison, "Unless you had other plans for me before I leave."

Addison smiled thinly. "Not at all. Dinner sounds wonderful."

Sam stood up, signaling the end of their meeting. "Great! I'll let her know."

Addison and Derek followed suit and she said, "We haven't seen Naomi yet. We can tell her. I'm sure you have patients to see."

Sam nodded and walked towards his office door. "Have you introduced Derek to anyone else here?"

"He took it upon himself to state his name and specialty to Dell when we arrived."

"You told him that I was a colleague interested in co-ops. You don't think he thought that it was a little odd that you didn't tell him my name?"

Addison shrugged. "I didn't think about it, Derek. You immediately broke rule number one as soon as we got out of the elevator!"

Sam looked at them while slightly confused. "Rule number one?"

Both Addison and Derek answered together, "Never mind."

Sam smiled at them and said, "You are both still so much the same." Grabbing the door handle, he asked Addison, "Where do we go when we need information around here?"

Addison looked at him curiously. "I don't know…I look it up myself."

"No, I mean when we need charts, or appointment reminders, or off-the-wall stuff that we don't have time to search for ourselves."

"The Domain?" Addison asked.

"Exactly," Sam replied.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "You think he knows who Derek is?"

Sam nodded. "Definitely. And most likely so does the entire practice."

Addison led Derek down the hallway towards Naomi's office. As they passed Dell's booming front desk, Addison saw Violet and Cooper staring expectantly at them. Dell smiled pleasantly and asked Derek, "How's the visit going, Dr. Shepherd?"

"Very well, thank you. It's always good to catch up with an old friend." Turning his head back and forth, he continued, "The Center seems – serene. Comfortable. Patient-friendly."

Cooper stretched out his hand causing the former couple to completely stop in front of them. "Hi. I'm Cooper, the staff ped. It's nice to meet you."

Derek returned the handshake and greetings. Addison introduced Violet as well and watched as they shook hands. "We'd better leave these busy physicians to their patients. I'm sure they have a full day. Dell, is Naomi busy now?"

Dell lowered his eyes to the appointment book in front of him and replied, "Nope. She has a break until her last patient at 4:00."

"Great. Thanks." Addison turned back toward Derek and said, "We'll visit with my friend from medical school, Naomi, and then you'll have met everyone."

Violet glanced quickly at Cooper and then asked Addison, "Has he met Pete already?"

Addie pursed her lips. "Oh, no. I – um – I thought he was off today."

Dell looked confused and shook his head, "Not this week. We all work the same Saturday every month."

Derek smirked as he watched Addison's cheeks turn crimson, matching her flaming red hair.

Violet decided a quick getaway was needed. Pointing to Cooper, she said, "I – we – need to go. We have a mutual patient to attend to. Nice meeting you, Dr. Shepherd."

Derek grinned and replied quietly, "Likewise." Addison wished she could crawl unseen behind them.

Turning away from Dell, Addie muttered, "Let's go and see Naomi."

As they walked down the hallway past exam rooms, Derek questioned her about how things work at the center. "So, you don't exactly have consults?"

"Not really. We share patients. They usually need help in different specialties."

Derek grinned mischievously. "_You_ share?"

Addison chuckled. "I do. We share everything here."

"What have you shared with Pete?"

From his peripheral vision, Derek saw the smile Addison had formed following his joke slide quickly from her face.

"Nothing. Well, patients. We have shared a couple of patients. He's been very helpful really."

"Relax. I was just kidding."

"Oh yeah, I knew you were," Addison replied, hoping he believed her.

Relieved to be at their destination, she knocked on Naomi's office door and waited for a response.

"Come in," Naomi cheerfully called out, knowing who was behind the door since she had just received a text message from Sam warning her of them impending arrival. She had been shocked to hear that it was Derek's voice she had heard earlier in the morning asking for more manly soap.

Derek opened the door allowing Addison to pass through first. They both greeted Naomi and sat in side by side chairs opposite of her desk.

"So, Derek, what brings you to sunny LA?"

Grinning, he replied, "I came to see Addison. We had some family business to wrap up and I wanted to see her new job."

Naomi glanced at Addison, noting the tension in the air between them. "Sounds good. So, what do you think of the place?"

Derek looked around her office taking in the home-like feel. "It's nice. It isn't something I would've thought Addison would've ever have wanted, but it's nice."

Addison sighed loudly and began picking at her fingernails. "It's more than nice, Derek. It's home," she mumbled more to herself than for his benefit.

"I'm getting that. It's just an opinion."

Naomi watched their back and forth banter and wondered how two people who claimed to no longer love each other still cared enough to bicker about one of their happiness levels.

"Exactly. It's your opinion. I've changed. You must have missed that while you were chasing your twelve year old."

Derek ran a hand through his curls allowing them to fall where they may. "Does it always have to come back to that? That I ignored you?"

"It really doesn't matter now anyway, Derek."

Naomi cleared her throat. "Um, I hate to interrupt, but is there something I can help you with or did you just come in to visit?"

Addison made a face and said, "Sam wants us to join you for dinner. I'd love to, but maybe you'd rather eat without us."

"Not at all, Addie. Join us. We'll relax and just have some fun together. We'll make some rules of not bringing up the past for the next few hours. I'm sure it would be beneficial for Sam and I as well."

"Rules," Addison added sarcastically. "Derek doesn't follow rules."

Derek turned towards her. "You made one rule! And it was ridiculous. I can follow rules. I can follow rules if they are intelligently made."

"Fine." Addison stood and waited for Derek to follow her. Glancing back at Naomi, she said, "We'll see you at dinner. Text me the time and place."

After the couple shut her office door, Naomi shook her head wondering how they didn't kill each other when they were married.

Derek had to pick up speed to catch up with Addison who was darting down the hallway.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to my office. You can either follow me or find something to play with for the next couple of hours."

As Addison rounded a corner, she nearly threw herself into Pete's chest. "Oh, great. Just great."

"Happy to see me?" Pete asked.

Derek watched the exchange and then made his move to introduce himself. He held out his hand and said, "Derek, Shepherd, nice to meet you."

Pete took Derek's outstretched hand to return the handshake. "Pete Wilder, likewise."

Addison sighed loudly, "Derek's a friend. I'm showing him around."

Pete nodded. "That's great. I'm on my way out. I have a date."

"Oh! Good. I'm glad – ya know – that you're dating. That's good. It's great!"

Pete knew she was forcing her reply so he smiled while saying, "Yeah, it is. I couldn't wait for you forever."

"Ha, yeah, right. Wait for me – ha – that's funny." Addison tucked her arm around Derek's and said, "We should go. And – you – you should go. I don't want to make you late for that date!"

"It would be a good excuse."

Using her weight, she pushed Derek and began walking back up the hallway towards her office. "Have a nice evening, Dr. Wilder."

"I plan to Dr. Montgomery."

Derek scowled, but kept time with Addison as she moved quickly to her destination. Once they arrived at her office door, she yanked the door handle and pushed it forcefully so that the back of it hit the inside wall. Derek grabbed it and shut it quietly behind them.

"I thought you didn't share anything with Pete other than patients."

Gathering papers on the top of her desk, Addison pretended not to hear him.

Derek slumped into a chair opposite her desk watching as Addison tried to find something to keep her occupied and looking busy. "So, you're not going to talk to me now?"

Addison glanced up from the pile of papers. "You broke the rule. I had one rule and you broke it."

"That's not why you are angry. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" Slapping the desk with her palms, she continued to unveil her bubbling emotions. She walked away from the desk and began to pace the carpet while she spoke. "_This_-" throwing her hands in the air – "_this_ is wrong. What are we doing, Derek? You've played house since you got here. The night in bed, the morning shower jokes, the favorite bagels, the shopping, the walk on the beach, pretending to care about where I work-."

"I do care about where you work."

Arching her eyebrow, she asked, "Why? Why do you care now? I'm here and I'm happy. Really….happy." She turned away from him to look out the small window at the side of her office. "I _was_ happy. Today, I'm not. I can't act normal when you are here. I have to cover up who we are because no one here knows about us. I came here to escape and you're crowding my – my – domain."

Derek smothered a smile. "You've also learned a new vocabulary."

"Don't make fun of me."

Addison jumped when she felt her hair swish to the side courtesy of Derek's fingers.


	2. Chapter 2

"Relax."

"I'm trying to. It's not easy when you are this close."

Derek whispered to her, "Try harder," as he bent down so that his lips brushed the side of her neck where her hair used to lay.

Tilting her head in automatic pilot, she squeezed her eyes shut trying to resist the soft pecks he was leaving on her. Futile as it was, she tried to block all old feelings of love and warmth between them out of her head. His arms folded around her waist and he gently turned her towards him. As she opened her eyes, he placed his palms on her warm cheeks and pulled her face closer to meet his.

As Addison's office door opened, she roughly pushed Derek away from her. Surprised to see someone enter before knocking, Addison swiftly walked to her desk.

Dell quickly looked from Addison to Derek and back to Addison. "Oh! Dr. Montgomery! I'm so sorry. I thought you had left with Naomi and Sam. They said they were meeting you and Dr. Shepherd for dinner. I assumed that you had gone already. I was just leaving some papers on your desk and locking up."

Addison forced a smile. "It's fine, Dell. We were just – um – getting ready to go." She glanced at Derek who was standing the corner stifling a laugh. Giving him a death glare, she returned her conversation with Dell. "You can go. I'll finish locking up here."

"Thanks, Dr. Montgomery. And remember," Dell pointed to forehead. "It's all up here. Doesn't go anywhere."

Addison smirked and said flatly, "That's good to know."

Dell nodded at Derek before exiting the room.

As soon as the door was firmly closed, Derek broke into a fit of laughter.

"Shut up!" Addison looked down at her desk, found a pen and threw it at him. "Will you be serious for once?"

Derek stepped to the side and let the thrown object hit the wall behind him. Giggling, he said, "I'm sorry, but your face was priceless when that door opened."

Addison glared at him. "Pick up the pen. It's my favorite one."

Derek grinned while bending down to grab the pen from the floor. He walked closer to her desk. While tossing the object back onto her desk top, he murmured, "Then don't throw it at people. You have anger issues."

Addison snatched the pen and placed it gently in her desk drawer. "We should go. We need to get ready for dinner." As she walked around her desk, she added, as an afterthought, "I hope you didn't unpack much."

"I only filled two closets and a dresser."

"Stop being a smartass."

"Stop pretending to hate me."

"I do hate you."

"No, you don't."

Derek moved in front of Addison, blocking her only exit. "I can't hate you for what you did. You can't hate me for what I did."

"I like trying to." Addison stepped sideways in an attempt to walk around Derek.

Derek grabbed Addison's arm and pulled her into him. "How's that working for you?"

Addison's resolve began withering away. "Not that well," she whispered.

Smothering his smirk, she grabbed the back of his head, pushing his lips onto hers. Derek responded by allowing his hands to work their way around her back. Arching higher, Addison broke their kiss and let her cheek rest on his. Derek leaned into her and stood still hoping she wouldn't put a halt on what he knew she was feeling.

Addison's hands fell to Derek's chest and he allowed her a bit more space between them. She tilted her head and began biting down on her bottom lip. "I don't think we should keep going. I don't know if it's right for either of us."

"Do you want to keep going?"

Barely a whisper, she answered him, "Yeah."

"Then, stop thinking."


	3. Chapter 3

A slow smile spread over Addison's face and she began unbuttoning her pants. Derek returned her smile with a grin and laid his hands over hers. "Let me."

Sliding her slacks over her hips, he allowed his hands to rub the small of her bare back. As her pants fell to her ankles, Addison worked on Derek's shirt buttons. Using her skilled fingers, his shirt was quickly loosened and she pushed it over his broad shoulders. Bringing her hands to his face, she pulled him towards her and began kissing him with a needed feeling of being wanted. Derek returned her fervor and let his hands rise up into her shirt. He found the clasp of her lace bra and unhooked it with ease. While still kissing, Addison moved her hands down his chest until she located his belt buckle. Sucking in a breath as Derek moved his touch from her back to the softness of her breasts under her open bra, she began to unbuckle his belt and loosen his pants.

She continued to tug on his lower lip with her teeth as moved her hands over the back of his head entangling her fingers in his curly hair. She missed this; the familiarity of their caressing routine; his response when she ran her fingers over his throbbing lips after gently biting at them; and watching his eyes roll back as she shoved her hand down into his open pants and curled her fingers over his most sensitive areas.

As they quickly removed the rest of their clothing, Derek asked, "Floor or couch?"

Addison began lowering herself to the floor and replied fervently, "Floor." Derek smirked and said, "Still couch-shy, huh?"

"Shut up."

"You know you only fell off onto the hard, cold, tile that time because you didn't stay where I told you to stay."

Addison briefly remembered the time when during a rather adventurous lovemaking session, she was knocked off of the couch and onto the floor. She also remembered the bruise on her hip that didn't heal for a month. Pushing that experience from her mind and knowing that if things didn't progress soon, her head would overrule her heart, she whispered, "Derek….."

He responded by lowering himself over her. He gently nudged her knees apart and lay between them. As he entered her, she held her breath until she could begin to match his rhythm. While still filling her, he grabbed the back of her thigh and pulled it towards them. Addison wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as the deeper feeling engulfed her. If this was totally wrong, she's pay for it later, she thought. Now was the time to just enjoy being this close to him.

Addison could feel Derek's heart racing and as she braced for his final push, she drove the back of his head down so that she could lock his lips with hers for the pulsating ending. With their mouths forced upon each others, Addison and Derek both felt the rush of heat to their cheeks and the rising of goose bumps on their extremities as their climaxes merged together.

Panting and satisfied, Derek rolled off of her, but laid his hand on top of her stomach so as to not completely break their contact.

------------------------------------

Sam glanced at his watch. "They're running late."

"They're not coming."

"Nay, they're just a little late. Maybe Derek had to pack or Addison got a shoe fetish or something. They'll be here. Let's just enjoy the quiet while we can. They'll be fighting in front of us soon enough."

Naomi put down her wine glass and turned towards Sam. "Are you that blind?"

"What?"

"They're not coming. That fighting we saw earlier? Cerebral sparring…..which always leads to sex."

"No way. Addison is over him. She made it clear that Derek isn't staying long."

Naomi just shook her head and said definitively, "They're not coming. They're having sex."

Sam sighed and picked up his beer glass knowing nothing was going to change Naomi's mind.


End file.
